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Success Academy Leader Discusses 'Medicore' Teacher Training

One of the latest and biggest topics in education currently is the state of teacher colleges and preparation programs, which many experts agree are not properly training teachers to enter the field.

Whether it be that programs are not thoroughly instructing teachers on how to combine pedagogy with technology or are in general failing to instruct future teachers on important standards in different subjects, teacher prep programs have been described—especially as of late—as "mediocre."

Eva Moskowitz, founder and CEO of the often-times controversial but consistently over-performing charter school network, Success Academy, discussed with The 74 Million why she believes more institutions should be following her network's lead when it comes to teacher training and guidance.

"If America is going to be able to compete globally and get our standing back, we need to rethink how we teach our teachers,"Moskowitz said.

"In order to teach effectively, teachers must have mastery of the subject matter; you can’t teach what you don’t know. Most education schools give mastery short shrift in the belief that technique trumps all. Not so: Learning is fundamental to schooling, and teachers cannot be truly committed to educating children if they themselves are not actively studying and learning."

So what does Success Academy do to achieve a high level of education with well-trained and committed educators according to Moskowitz?

"Success Academy provides intensive teacher training during the summer, continued professional development once school starts – the equivalent of 13 weeks every academic year – and frequent collaborative planning sessions so no teacher feels she has to sink or swim."

"If we want to truly reform education in the United States, we must fundamentally reform how we train America’s teachers. Innovative approaches like those employed by small organizations such as Success Academy to create better teacher training programs should be viewed as a model for achieving this important goal."